HUBBALLI: Senior Congress leader SR Patil met former union minister CM Ibrahim, who recently announced quitting the party for being sidelined, at a private hotel here on Sunday. Patil tried to convince Ibrahim to reconsider his decision, but the latter said he was determined to quit the Congress. Ibrahim had recently expressed his displeasure over not being made the Leader of the Opposition in the Council.
Patil said Ibrahim should have been made leader of the opposition, and it is not only a loss to Ibrahim but to his community too. Ibrahim said he did not receive any call from Siddaramaiah and he does not expect it either. “I won’t indulge in caste-based politics. I will soon announce whether I will join JDS or Mamata Banerjee’s TMC or Akhilesh Yadav’s SP,” he said. Ibrahim said he will start Alinga’ movement (Minorities and Lingayats) from Vijayapura and also ‘Agow’ movement (Minorities and Gowdas) in south Karnataka. “I am poor and have space for all communities and poor and rich,” Ibrahim broke down.